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Ev Anderson: Let the poor be in your thoughts at Christmas

I have an out-of-town friend whose political and religious views fall on the extreme right. For example, he considers Pope Francis “a nincompoop” because of his perceived neglect of conservative Catholic orthodoxy and his attacks on capitalism. My friend writes:

“I don’t care if you think Francis is the finest person who ever has lived since Jesus himself, I still think he is a shallow lib with a familiar confusion about the left’s alleged focus on ‘the poor.’ ... He inexplicably (for a Pope) ignores orthodoxy’s claim to be the route to salvation — not a variant of socialism but the route — needed as much by the poor as by anyone else, and he forgets Christ’s warning that ‘My Kingdom is not of this world.’ ”

Elaborating on his views of the poor — and Pope Francis — my friend goes on to write:

“Any student of Scripture knows that the use of the term (the poor) in the Bible — like so many other terms — is hugely metaphorical. Not only does it not always mean lacking in material resources, it doesn’t even usually mean that. ...

“There are oceans of poverty in America, and very little of it is a financial matter. There are oceans of poverty in the rest of the world, all the same spiritual kinds as in America, and a lot that is in fact a financial matter. And anyone who claims to want to help the situation while denouncing the greatest engine for human material thriving ever to emerge amongst us is sort of a nincompoop.”

I take issue with my friend’s views about Pope Francis. Disagree, if you will, with Francis’ neglect of conservative orthodoxy or his political views on the maldistributions and excesses of capitalism. In his mission to help the poor, Francis — unlike his more doctrinaire and orthodox predecessor, Benedict XVI — is teaching us valuable lessons that are clearly resonating with Catholics and non-Catholics of all political persuasions.

In his views regarding the Bible’s metaphorical references to the poor, and the widespread prevalence in our rich country of those who are morally and spiritually bereft, my friend is eminently correct.

I disagree, however, with my friend’s statement: “There are oceans of poverty in America, and very little of it is a financial matter.” Anyone who has worked with the homeless, the unemployed or underemployed, the developmentally disabled, the alcoholic or drug-addicted, the sick, the single-parent mothers, as well as other large swaths of the poor, understands that both human and financial resources are needed to eradicate these stubborn and endemic problems from our astonishingly rich society.

Accomplishing this herculean task begins with a change of heart. It’s a lesson particularly worth remembering at Christmas. It’s the lesson of Good King Wenceslas:

Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,

Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.

It’s the lesson of Ebenezer Scrooge, who underwent a spiritual transformation after seeing the hollow-eyed, emaciated children representing Ignorance and Want beneath the copious robes of the Ghost of Christmas Present.

It’s the lesson of the Grinch, who underwent a similar spiritual transformation after hearing the Whos of Whoville break out in joyous song despite being deprived of the toys, trees and roast beast that consume so much of our time at Christmas.

Finally, it’s the lesson of Jesus, who taught at Matthew 25:40: “Verily I say unto you, insofar as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

So follow the example of Jesus and his disciple Francis this Christmas. Devote a portion of your time, talent and treasure to helping the poor. And even if you are an agnostic like me, drop an extra bill in the Salvation Army kettle for that most shallow and selfish of reasons: because it makes you feel good.

Ev Anderson is a retired attorney and former Tallahassee Democrat community columnist. Contact him at ev1945@gmail.com.